FAIRY MYTHOLOGY Romance and Superstition of Various Countries 2 Thomas Keightley
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Fairy Mythology Romance and Superstition of Various Countries 2 Author: Thomas Keightley
Original publication: The Fairy Mythology, Illustrative of the Romance and Superstition of Various Countries (1870) Cover image: L ily Fairy (1888), Luis Ricardo Falero (1851 – 1896) Lay-out: www.burokd.nl ISBN 978-94-92355-10-2 © 2015 Revised publication by:
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FAIRY MYTHOLOGY Romance and Superstition of Various Countries 2
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contents
GREAT BRITIAN 9 England 10 The Green Children—11 The Fairy-Banquet—14 The Fairy-Horn—16 The Portunes—18 The Grant—19 The Luck of Eden Hall—27 The Fairy-Fair—30 The Fairies’ Caldron—32 The Cauld Lad of Hilton—33 The Pixy-Labour—40 Pixy-Vengence—43 Pixy-Gratitude—44 The Fairy Thieves—46 The Boggart—48 Addlers and Menters—50 The Fairy-Nursling—53 The Fairy-Labour—54 Ainsel and Puck—56 Scottish Lowlands 102 The Fairies’ Nurse—107 The Fairy Rade—109 The Changeling—110 Departure of the Fairies—112 The Brownie—113 CELTS AND CYMRY 119 Ireland 121 Clever Tom and the Leprechaun—135 The Leprechaun in the Garden—139 The Three Leprechauns—143 The Little Shoe—148 Scottish Highlands 150 The Fairy’s Inquiry—152 The Young Man in the Shian—153 The Two Fiddlers—155 The Fairy-Labour—157 The Fairy borrowing Oatmeal—158 The Fairy-Gift—159 The Stolen Ox—160 The Stolen Lady—162 The Changeling—164 The Wounded Seal—166 The Brownies—168 The Urisk—169 5
Isle of Man 170 The Fairy-Chapman—172 The Fairy-Banquet—173 The Fairies’ Christening—174 The Fairy-Whipping—175 The Fairy-Hunt—176 The Fiddler and the Fairy—177 The Phynodderee—178 Wales 180 Tale of Elidurus—181 The Tylwyth Teg—185 The Spirit of the Van—187 Rhys at the Fairy Dance—194 Gitto Bach—196 The Fairies Banished—198 Brittany 200 Lai D’Ywenec—204 Lord Nann and the Korrigan—219 The Dance and Song of the Korred—225 SOUTHERN EUROPE 231 Greece 232 Italy 237 Spain 248 The Daughter of Peter de Cabinam—249 Origin of the House of Haro—251 La Infantina—253 Pepito el Corcovado—255 France 260 Legend of Melusina—280 EASTERN EUROPE 289 Finns 290 Slaves 294 Vilas—297 Deer and Vila—298 AFRICANS, JEWS 301 Africans 302 Jews 304 The Broken Oaths—306 The Moohel—317 The Mazik-Ass—322 6
CONCLUSION 325 APPENDIX 329 The Harvest Dinner—330 The Young Piper—343 The Soul Cages—352 Barry of Cairn Thierna—367 Aileen a Roon—375 Rousseau’s Dream—377 Alexander Selkirk’s Dream—379 A Moonlight Scene—382 Lines —383 To Amanda—385 Lines—386 A Farewell—387 Verses—390 Father Cuddy’s Song—391 The Praises of Mazenderan—392 INDEX 395
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T he Changeling But the Fairies of Scotland were not, even according to Mr. Cromek, uniformly benevolent. Woman and child abstraction was by no means uncommon with them, and the substitutes they provided were, in general, but little attractive. A fine child at Caerlaveroc, in Nithsdale, was observed on the second day after its birth, and before it was baptised, to have become quite ill-favoured and deformed. Its yelling every night deprived the whole family of rest; it bit and tore its mother a breasts, and would lie still neither in the cradle nor the arms. The mother being one day obliged to go from home, left it in charge of the servant girl. The poor lass was sitting bemoaning herself—“Were it nae for thy girning face, I would knock the big, winnow the corn, and grun the meal.”—“Lowse the cradle-band,” said the child, “and tent the neighbours, and I’ll work yere work.” Up he started—the wind arose—the corn was chopped—the outlyers were foddered—the hand-mill moved around, as by instinct—and the knocking-mill did its work with amazing rapidity. The lass and child then rested and diverted themselves, till, on the approach of the mistress, it was restored to the cradle, and renewed its cries. The girl took the first opportunity of telling the adventure to her mistress. “What’II we do with the wee diel?” said she. “I ‘II work it a pirn,” replied the lass. At midnight the chimney-top was covered up, and every chink and cranny stopped. The fire was blown till it was glowing hot, and the maid speedily undressed the child, and tossed him on the burning coals. He shrieked and yelled in the most dreadful 110
manner, and in an instant the Fairies were heard moaning on every side, and rattling at the windows, door, and chimney. “In the name of God bring back the bairn,” cried the lass. The window flew up, the real child was laid on the mother’s lap, and the wee diel flew up the chimney laughing.
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Departure of the Fairies On a Sabbath morning, all the inmates of a little hamlet had gone to church, except a herd-boy, and a little girl, his sister, who were lounging beside one of the cottages, when just as the shadow of the gardendial had fallen on the line of noon, they saw a long cavalcade ascending out of the ravine, through the wooded hollow. It winded among the knolls and bushes, and turning round the northern gable of the cottage, beside which the sole spectators of the scene were stationed, began to ascend the eminence towards the south. The horses were shaggy diminutive things, speckled dun and grey; the riders stunted, misgrown, ugly creatures, attired in antique jerkins of plaid, long grey clokes, and little red caps, from under which their wild uncombed locks shot out over their cheeks and foreheads. The boy and his sister stood gazing in utter dismay and astonishment, as rider after rider, each more uncouth and dwarfish than the other which had preceded it, passed the cottage and disappeared among the brushwood, which at that period covered the hill, until at length the entire rout, except the last rider, who lingered a few yards behind the others, had gone by. “What are you, little manie? and where are ye going?” inquired the boy, his curiosity getting the better of his fears and his prudence. “Not of the race of Adam,” said the creature, turning for a moment in its saddle, “the people of peace shall never more be seen in Scotland.” [a] [a] Hugh Miller, The Old Red Sandstone, p. 251. We are happy to have an opportunity of expressing the high feelings of respect and esteem which we entertain for this extraordinary man. Born in the lowest rank of society, and commencing life as a workman in a stone-quarry, he has, by the mere force of natural genius, become not only a most able geologist but an elegant writer, and a sound and discerning critic. Scotland seems to stand alone in producing such men.
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T he Brownie The Nis, Kobold, or Goblin, appears in Scotland under the name of Brownie. [a] Brownie is a personage of small stature, wrinkled visage, covered with short curly brown hair, and wearing a brown mantle and hood. His residence is the hollow of the old tree, a ruined castle, or the abode of man, He is attached to particular families, with whom he has been known to reside, even for centuries, threshing the corn, cleaning the house, and doing everything done by his northern and English brethren. He is, to a certain degree, disinterested; like many great personages, he is shocked at anything approaching to the name of a bribe or douceur, yet, like them, allows his scruples to be overcome if the thing be done in a genteel, delicate, and secret way. Thus, offer Brownie a piece of bread, a cup of drink, or a new coat and hood, and he flouted at it, and perhaps, in his huff, quitted the place for ever; but leave a nice bowl of cream, and some fresh honeycomb, in a snug private corner, and they soon disappeared, though Brownie, it was to be supposed, never knew anything of them. A good woman had just made a web of linsey-woolsey, and, prompted by her good nature, had manufactured from it a snug mantle and hood for her little Brownie. Not content with laying the gift in one of his favourite spots, she indiscreetly called to tell him it was there. This was too direct, and Brownie quitted the place, crying, A new mantle and a new hood; Poor Brownie! ye ‘ll ne’er do mair gude!
Another version of this legend says, that the gudeman of’ a farm-house in the parish of Glendevon having left out some clothes 113
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one night for Brownie, he was heard to depart, saying, Gie Brownie coat, gie Brownie sark, Ye ‘se get nae mair o’ Brownie’s wark! [b]
At Leithin-hall, in Dumfrieshire, a Brownie had dwelt, as he himself declared, for three hundred years. He used to show himself but once to each master; to other persons he rarely discovered more than his hand. One master was greatly beloved by Brownie, who on his death bemoaned him exceedingly, even abstaining from food for many successive days. The heir returning from foreign parts to take possession of the estate, Brownie appeared to do him homage, but the Laird, offended at his mean, starved appearance, ordered him meat and drink, and new livery. Brownie departed, loudly crying, Ca’, cuttee, ca’! A’ the luck of Leithin Ha’ Gangs wi’ me to Bodsbeck Ha’.
In a few years Leithin Ha’ was in ruins, and “bonnie Bodsbeck” flourishing beneath the care of Brownie. Others say that it was the gudeman of Bodsbeck that offended the Brownie by leaving out for him a mess of bread and milk, and that he went away, saying, Ca, Brownie, ca’, A’ the luck of Bodsbeck awa to Leithenha’.
Brownie was not without some roguery in his composition. Two lasses having made a fine bowlful of buttered brose, had taken it into the byre to sup in the dark. In their haste they brought but one 114
spoon, so, placing the bowl between them, they supped by turns. “I hae got but three sups,” cried the one, “and it’s a’ dune.”—“It ‘s a’ dune, indeed,” cried the other—“Ha, ha, ha!” cried a third voice, “Brownie has got the maist o’ it.”—And Brownie it was who had placed himself between them, and gotten two sups for their one. The following story will remind the reader of Hinzelmann. A Brownie once lived with Maxwell, Laird of Dalswinton, and was particularly attached to the Laird’s daughter, the comeliest lass in all the holms of Nithadale. In all her bye affairs Brownie was her confidant and assistant; when she was married, it was Brownie who undressed her for the bridal bed; and when a mother’s pains first seized her, and a servant, who was ordered to go fetch the cannie wife, who lived on the other side of the Nith, was slow in getting himself ready, Brownie, though it was one of dark December’s stormy nights, and the wind was howling through the trees, wrapped his lady’s fur cloak about him, mounted the servant’s horse, and dashed through the waves of the foaming Nith. He went to the cannie wife, got her up behind hint, and, to her terror and dismay, plunged again into the torrent. “Ride nae by the auld pool,” said she, “lest we suld meet wi’ Brownie.” “Fear nae, dame,” replied he, “ye ‘ve met a’ the Brownies ye will meet.” He set her down at the hall steps, and went to the stable. There finding the lad, whose embassy be had discharged, but drawing on his boots, he took off the bridle, and by its vigorous application instilled into the memory of the loitering loon the importance of dispatch. This was just at the time of the Reformation, and a zealous minister advised the Laird to have him baptised. The Laird consented, and 115
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The Fairy world of the British Isles, Ireland, Southern and Eastern Europe The term “Fairy” covers all kinds of nature spirits and Elementals all over the world. Not just the tiny sugar sweet creatures hovering around flowers. Thomas Keightley collected an impressive amount of mostly European, and nowadays often “extinct” folklorist data on these invisible realm’s inhabitants, and compiled these in Fairy Mythology (1870). In its revised edition, this massive work of over 800 pages, is republished in two volumes to meet modern reading standards. Volume 1 covers Scandinavia, Iceland, Feroer, the Orkneys, Shetland Islands, Rugen, Germany and Switserland. Volume 2 deals with Great Britain, the Scottish Highlands and Lowlands, England, Wales, the Isle of Man, Brittany, France, Greece, Italy, Spain, stories of the Finns and Slavonic people and some Jewish and African Fairylore. We encounter Fairies in many varieties, Pixies, Brownies, Leprechauns, Chancelings, the Boggard, Puck, the Phynodderee, Kobold, Urisk, Korrigen, the Korred, Tylwyth Teg and more. Just like volume 1, volume 2 displays a precious collection of ancient folklore directly based on the realm of the hidden Elemental nature.
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